WRESTLING NEWS TODAY

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> 11 SUPERSTARS AND 1 COMMENTATOR JUMP TO MONDAY NIGHT RAW
- 11 WWE Superstars and one commentator jumped ship from Smackdown along with the Intercontinental title in the first night of Superstar Shake-up last Monday night on Raw. Those who made the jump are Apollo Crews, The Miz, Maryse, Dean Ambrose, Curt Hawkins, Bray Wyatt, Kalisto, Heath Slater, Rhyno, Alexa Bliss, and Mickie James. The Miz and Maryse along with Bray Wyatt and Intercontinental champion Dean Ambrose are the high profile Superstars who switched. The commentator who also switched was David Otunga, who now joins Corey Graves and Michael Cole on Raw. Byron Saxton joins Smackdown in return.




> OWENS, ZAYN, CHARLOTTE AND OTHERS MOVE TO SMACKDOWN
- While a few high-profile Superstars moved to Raw from Smackdown, Smackdown gained some pretty good names as well last night during night two of the Superstar Shake-up. Moving over to the blue brand are United States champion Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Charlotte, Tamina, all three members of The New Day, Rusev, Lana, Jinder Mahal, Sin Cara, and The Shining Stars. This means that a total of 13 Superstars moved to Smackdown while 11 moved to Raw. Owens, Zayn, Charlotte, Rusev and Lana and The New Day are the biggest names acquired for Smackdown after losing Superstars such as The Miz and Maryse, Dean Ambrose, Bray Wyatt, and former Smackdown Women’s champion Alexa Bliss to Raw. Kevin Owens brings over the United States title with him as well, a move which was expected after Dean Ambrose and his Intercontinental title switched over to Raw.




> LANA CLAIMS SHE WAS VIOLATED BY TSA AGENTS AT BOSTON AIRPORT
- WWE Superstar Lana wrote on Twitter about the horrible experience suffered at the hands of TSA agents at Boston’s Logan International Airport. Lana claimed that she was sexually assaulted, a tweet that was later removed, and then replaced with a tweet that read, “The most inappropriate behavior @BostonLogan TSA is doing to me. I have never felt this violated in my entire life.” Several complaints in the past have marred TSA’s image at airports, with mainly female passengers complaining of inappropriate touches when going through security. The Twitter account of Boston’s Logan International Airport responded to Lana’s tweet, urging her to report the allegation to TSA and apologizing for the poor treatment she received at the airport. With video cameras everywhere in airports, it will not be hard to confirm - or deny - Lana’s allegations. When we contacted TSA's public affairs office, a spokesman said, "TSA is aware of these allegations. We reached out to the passenger and plan to communicate with her directly."




> RENEE YOUNG AND DEAN AMBROSE TIE THE KNOT
- WWE’s Renee Young announced that she and Intercontinental champion Dean Ambrose are now married. “Marriage is nice. Thanks for all the love,” she wrote on Twitter amidst several congratulatory messages from fans and other fellow WWE co-workers. The two have been dating since late 2013 and have been living together in Las Vegas, Nevada where Ambrose has his house. Both Renee and Dean were added to season six of Total Divas. Dolph Ziggler took a swipe at Renee last night on Talking Smack after he was introduced and walked in eating an apple. “What, you got an apple in your hand?” asked Renee. “Yeah, what’s in your hand? What’s on your finger?” replied Ziggler. Renee then hid her left hand and said, “Nothing!” Kevin Owens, who joined later in the show, also decided to have some fun with Renee and said congratulations her. She pretended that she didn’t know why he was saying that. “I don’t think we’re talking about that,” said Shane, who was sitting next to Renee. “I’m talking about it, what are you going to do if I talk about it,” replied Owens. Congratulations to the newlyweds!




> FINN BALOR SUFFERS CONCUSSION DURING MATCH ON RAW
- PWInsider.com is reporting that Finn Balor suffered a concussion on Raw after he was on the receiving end of a vicious right elbow to the head by Jinder Mahal. Balor looked to be completely knocked unconscious when he got hit as he fell on the floor face first without protecting himself. Balor eventually recovered and finished the match, winning with his finishing move. The former WWE Universal champion just made his return after 8 months out on the sidelines and Balor will probably not be cleared to wrestle until he passes the multiple tests needed following a concussion. The slow-mo replay shows how bad the hit was which you can see at http://w-o.it/2op1ANO .




> RAW RATING
- RAW pulled in 3,429,000 viewers for the first night of Superstar Shake-up, and while it was down 338,000 viewers from the Raw after Mania, it was higher than any other show this year except for the Raw after the Royal Rumble. Hour one did 3,432,000 viewers, followed by 3,600,000 viewers in the second hour, before going down to 3,256,000 viewers in the third and final hour. Between the second and third hour, Raw lost 344,000 viewers which is obviously not a good sign. Raw placed #2, #3, and #4 in the top 50 cable chart among the 18-49 demographic. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)




> SMACKDOWN RATING
- Smackdown pulled its second biggest number since switching to live on Tuesdays, getting 3,105,000 viewers for this week’s show. The record so far on USA Network is 3,170,000 viewers on July 19, which was the draft episode. The number saw a big bump from last week’s 2,885,000 due to the second night of Superstar Shake-up. Smackdown was #1 in the top 50 cable chart among the 18-49 demographic. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)




> GLENN “KANE” JACOBS ANNOUNCES CANDIDACY FOR KNOX COUNTY MAYOR
- Former WWE champion Kane officially announced that he is running for mayor of Knox County next year. The announcement was made yesterday at Sweet P’s in South Knox County in front of family, friends, and members of the press. Kane, whose real name is Glenn Jacobs, has been rumored to be running for the job for quite a few months and last month he appointed a treasurer, a mandatory position for anyone running. Jacobs is running on the Republican ticket for this election which takes place on May 1, 2018. “I’m officially announcing my candidacy for Knox County Mayor. As Knox County Mayor, I promise to keep taxes low and make Knox County a place everyone can be proud of,” Jacobs said, as reported by ABC affiliate WATE 6. Part of his logo includes a flame, something which is always associated with his WWE gimmick, a gimmick which he has been using since 1997. He has been absent from WWE television since early December and also missed WrestleMania. You can see two photos from the event at http://w-o.it/2p2gH2d .




> TOTAL DIVAS PREVIEW
- Episode 12 of season 6 of Total Divas airs tonight on E! with a new episode titled Feel The Glow. The synopsis of tonight’s show reads, “Maryse and Eva's friendship comes to blows over a bikini photoshoot. Meanwhile Renee and Dean Ambrose go on a sexy vacation but can't find the romance. Retired Brie decides to go back on the road to be with her husband but hates it and Trinity bites off more than she can chew when she pitches a new 'Glow in the dark' character.”